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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. rest — a break
  3. charge — electricity
  4. branch — a division
  5. spell — magic
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. charge — in control
  9. court — for sport
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. charge — a price
  12. rest — what's left
  13. plane — a tool
  14. spell — letters
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. rest — what's left
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. court — of a king
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. spell — a short time
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com